Harri Tiido: Is the New Right a lasting political phenomenon?

In his commentary series, Estonian diplomat Harri Tiido turns to British political historian Stephen Davies's book "The Great Realignment: Why the New Right Is Here to Stay" to assess whether the rise of the so-called New Right marks a lasting shift in politics.

From economics to identity

Davies builds his argument around the idea of a "focal issue" — the theme around which political camps historically organize into left and right. In the late 20th century, that issue was the free market versus state control. According to Davies, this divide is now being replaced by a new axis: nationalism, sovereignty and collective identity versus cosmopolitanism, globalism and technocratic rule-following.

Such realignments, Davies argues, tend to occur roughly every 40 years. In countries such as France, Poland and the United States, the shift has already taken hold, while in Spain and Portugal it is only beginning.

Anti-elitist, yet elitist

The New Right centers on national sovereignty and distinctiveness in opposition to cosmopolitan individualism, and carries a strong anti-elitist strain, arguing power should return to ordinary people. At the same time, Tiido notes, the movement views itself as the future elite — an "elitist anti-elitism." Its perceived opponents are not the wealthy, who are generally admired, but those who manage the economy and hold advanced academic credentials.

Economically, the New Right rejects both classical socialism and free-market capitalism in favor of a form of national collectivism or neo-mercantilism — protectionism and state-directed investment paired with an emphasis on national identity, sometimes described as a combination of nationalism and state-centrism.

Expected to persist for decades

Davies predicts the new political alignment will dominate for the next 30 to 40 years, and suggests Europe's New Right could evolve into a form of civilizational nationalism binding the continent through shared loyalty and identity — envisioned as Christian, white and distinct from the American variant. Tiido notes that current parliaments, shaped by recent elections, still largely reflect the older political divide, a pattern he says also applies to Estonia based on opinion surveys.